Serena Williams' husband and Reddit founder buys Chelsea stake

Tennis legend Serena Williams' husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has purchased a ten per cent stake in Chelsea Women, according to .

It is understood that Ohanian has paid £20m for his share of the Blues who just won the with an invincible record of 19 wins and three draws. The 42-year-old tech billionaire had been the majority shareholder a American NWSL side Angel City FC before it was sold for £190m last year.

As part of the agreement to invest in , Ohanian will have a place in the boardroom and it is expected that Williams will contribute to the club too. Their association with Chelsea is set to begin this weekend when they attend this Sunday's FA Cup final between the Blues and at Wembley Stadium.

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Chelsea FC Holdings sold Chelsea Women to sister company Blueco for £200m last year to avoid the men's team from being sanctioned by the Premier League's rules. While this deal is still being scrutinised by the to see if it justified 'fair market value', Ohanian's investment of £20m for ten per cent would indicate that the valuation last year was fair.

Despite still having close links to the men's team - the last game of the WSL season against Liverpool was played at Stamford Bridge - all of the money invested by Ohanian will go straight to the women's team. The Times adds that Ohanian and Williams foresee the future of the women's game as hugely profitable.

They estimate that by the time the UK hosts the World Cup in 2035, Chelsea Women could be worth between £500m and £1bn. Fir context, Everton was purchased in its entirety (including debt) for £700m.

Chelsea are one of the dominant forces in the English game and have won the WSL on eight occasions already.